Nicole Kidman paid tribute to the mentors who have supported and uplifted her, including her late mother, during her acceptance speech for The Hollywood Reporter's Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at THR's Women in Entertainment gala, presented by Lifetime, in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
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00:00eek okay I still got to get comfortable with this so I'm very good at having a
00:09script not so good at giving speeches but I'm going to do my best right now in
00:15front of my daughter who is here
00:19firstly thank you Laura Dern who is my girlfriend but also my confidant who has
00:30been privy to so much in my life and has supported me and showing me incredible
00:37sisterhood and off we go we've got things in our future together also thank
00:46you to the Hollywood Reporter team to Mayor and Rebecca and Curtis and welcome
00:51Shirley and now to Sherry Lansing yes because this is an extraordinary full
01:04circle because let me get this here when I first came to America I stepped off
01:12the plane and I came into the office of Sherry Lansing the first executive I met
01:20was Sherry and it was extraordinary because I was nervous intimidated
01:27wondering what my future was as a young actress coming over from Australia and
01:31suddenly there was this woman who was real and interested and had seen my work
01:39which was minimal at that time but had seen it and talked to me just like I was
01:46that I had that I deserved to be there and that is what she is capable of it's
01:52why she's existed in this industry for so long and continues to give give give
01:57so can I just say Sherry Lansing we love you she has been this industry's
02:10mentor and she has helped us and shown us that we can do it and we will and we
02:15need not stop because it hasn't been done before so I think what I'm
02:22interested in talking about today is that yes this is a leadership award but
02:27it's really important to acknowledge that this is about mentorship good
02:32mentors and being mentored and that's what Sherry's given all of us it's what
02:38she gave me and I remember Kevin and I were talking about this Kevin Huvane my
02:44agent 30 years and counting but he said to me we've worked together many times
02:51Sherry but he said remember when the hours was gonna not was meant to be
02:57getting made and then we lost a lot of the money and Sherry was like no I'm
03:01standing by you and I'm gonna make this film with three female leads that was
03:07not a sure thing was a small film about unusual subject matter and she stepped
03:13up to the plate and she did it so it's not talk it's doing this and the hours
03:19for me changed my life so that's mentorship in in action so I also want
03:32to acknowledge the previous winners of this award
03:36Adele Charlize Reese Viola Meryl Barbara Oprah none of these women you have to
03:44use their last names none of them so they are definitely leaders and the
03:53women that I have been lucky some of those women on that list I've been lucky
03:57to share set with a makeup trailer with or see them from afar but some of them
04:04have become my dearest and closest friends and I have sought them out when
04:11I've been grieving I've sought them out when I have been struggling I've sought
04:15them out when I am depressed and they have shown up for me and continue to
04:21guide me and push me and say the future is bright and the future is there so I
04:26want to say thank you to them and then I've had the privilege to work with some
04:30of the young young young emerging talent and I've also had the ability to be able
04:38to use whatever power I've been given now through the generosity of people in
04:44this room and pass it on and Helena rain here is one of those emerging powerful
04:50voices she directed baby girl and she's standing here today and I am lucky to
04:57have worked with her but I'm just happy I get to share some of the power that
05:02I've been given and I can pass it forward so now I'm also going to say my
05:11daughter is here and last night in the name of trying to do it all I was at the
05:19choir concert watching her sing we then got on a plane and we came here and I
05:25started crying because my mama loved choir and she loved education and so
05:36suddenly it was three months down the track from losing her but I'm seeing my
05:42daughter stand there with her whole future ahead of her and then she's
05:46getting on a plane coming with me and she was my mentor because I broke down
05:51with her and she said it's okay mama you're gonna be okay and she's showing
05:55up with me here today and even though I don't have my mama anymore I have my
06:00daughters and I know I'm talking about all the devastation but I'm sure
06:05everyone in this room knows that's probably when you need your friends and
06:08your mentors the most and he has encouraged me to move forward to believe
06:13in my talent and he has believed in me when I never believed in myself so thank
06:18you because I'm still standing and moving forward so so importantly reach
06:29out today when you leave this room and mentor someone because you have no idea
06:36what it means when you get that support and that guidance from somebody else and
06:42there's so many powerful people in this room so reach out show that support
06:48mentor someone well because the world will reap the benefits and share it and
06:53you may impact a life in the same way that Sherry Lansing impacted mine thank
06:58you